A blockchain is a publicly viewable, append-only, distributed ledger having wide application in the financial services industry. A blockchain includes multiple blocks, each containing data and a hash of the previous block, thereby linking the blocks in the blockchain. Blockchain entries consist of blocks of information that can include transactions, transaction record components, transaction entities, and the like.
A CA is an entity trusted by one or more other entities to create and assign digital certificates. The CA can include multiple CAs issuing certificates, including a root CA (e.g., trust anchor), at least one intermediate CA, and an issuing CA.
A digital certificate is an electronic document used to prove ownership of a public key. Digital certificates, also known as public key certificates, include the public key and the identity of an entity. Digital certificates are issued by a CA, which signs the digital certificate with the CA private key to render the digital certificate unforgeable, allowing for secure transactions between entities using the digital certificate.
A public key infrastructure (PKI) is a set of roles, policies, and procedures used to create, manage, use, store, and revoke digital certificates and manage public key encryption. A PKI facilitates secure electronic transfer of information for various electronic activities (e.g., internet banking, e-commerce, etc.). A PKI binds public keys with respective identities of entities (e.g., individuals, companies, organizations) through registration and issuance of digital certificates by a CA. A PKI creates, stores, and distributes the digital certificates, which verify that a particular public key belongs to a certain entity.